Prime Minister Andrew Holness says his administration will move to establish clearer rules governing the involvement of Jamaica’s security forces in evictions following complaints about the conduct of police and soldiers during the demolition of homes in Cooper’s Pen, Trelawny.
Holness said he intends to raise the issue with the National Security Council after hearing directly from residents who were displaced during the Aug. 11 demolition on privately owned land.
“What is clear is that the operation, as it was executed, needs policy guidance,” Holness told residents during a visit to the community Friday.
“That is where I come in as your prime minister, to make sure that subsequent operations are done according to the law, and with respect for your dignity and your rights,” he added.
Residents have complained about the conduct of members of the security forces during the early-morning operation, including allegations that men from the community were detained before the demolition began.
The homes were demolished pursuant to a court order, but the operation prompted questions about the Government’s knowledge of and involvement in the exercise.
Holness reiterated Friday that he had no prior knowledge of the demolition and was neither informed nor consulted about when it would take place.
“Nobody wrote to me or advised me of it,” he said.
He also rejected suggestions that his administration directed the security forces to participate in the operation, stressing that the political directorate does not control police operations.
“No prime minister or minister of national security can direct police operations, and I want that to be clear,” Holness said. “That was established in our practice many years ago. What we direct is policy.”
Holness explained that when people occupy privately owned land and the landowner seeks to regain possession, the owner must obtain a court order. A bailiff executing that order can seek assistance from law enforcement if there are concerns about security or potential risks to life and property.
He said police therefore have the authority to support a lawful eviction and a responsibility to maintain public order.
“So yes, the police are in the right to support the eviction, to give support to the eviction process,” Holness said.
However, he drew a distinction between the authority of security forces to assist with an eviction and how such operations are conducted.
Holness said residents’ accounts of the Cooper’s Pen operation highlighted the need for clear policy governing how law-enforcement personnel should act when called upon to assist in eviction exercises.
“I pointed out to them that it was important that I hear for myself how they feel and meet in the National Security Council with the security forces to discuss a policy as to how you should operate when you are asked to support an eviction process,” he said.
Holness also pushed back against criticism of his administration over the demolition, accusing some critics of seeking to use the controversy for political advantage.
“I represent the source of solutions, and equally, if solutions don’t come, and you need somebody to blame, it’s ultimately me,” he said.
“But I think it is being used in a political way to gain political advantage, and when it reaches that, then I have to stand up and say, ‘No, it is not true.’”
caribbeannationalweekly.com
